Indonesia's 'Hannibal Lector' gets 5 years<\/p>\n
Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Purbalingga, Central Java<\/p>\n
The Purbalingga District Court sentenced self-confessed cannibal
\nSumanto to five years in jail on Friday, but only based upon
\ntheft charges in the absence of specific legislation on
\ncannibalism.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors had demanded a seven-year jail term. The 31-year
\nold Sumanto was charged with stealing the corpse of Rinah, 80,
\nwhich he said he wanted to eat.<\/p>\n
"Based on the expert testimony, the theft of a corpse may be
\nclassified as a violation of Article 363 of the Criminal Code,"
\npresiding judge Soemardijatmo said while reading out the verdict.<\/p>\n
Villagers in the Pelumutan area in Purbalingga regency caught
\nSumanto red-handed as was he was digging out Rinah's corpse in a
\nlocal public cemetery last January. He later admitted to eating
\ntwo foolhardy men who attempted to rob him. However no murder
\ncharges were proffered against him.<\/p>\n
Sumanto said that he cooked the human flesh, charred it, fried
\nit or ate it raw. Sumanto also admitted he had a taste for other
\ntypes of meat, saying he liked eating cats, dogs, rats and
\nsnakes, when human corpses were not available.<\/p>\n
The granny-eating Sumanto said he wanted to consume seven
\ncorpses as part of his quest to obtain supernatural powers.<\/p>\n
Judge Soemardijatmo criticized the prosecutors for failing to
\ncharge Sumanto under traditional laws for his unusual epicurean
\ntastes.<\/p>\n
"The defendant's cannibalistic behavior clearly violates
\ntraditional laws, social norms and religious values," he said.<\/p>\n
"These (violations) should have been laid against him so that
\nthe panel of judges could engage in a process of legal revelation
\nthat would be of benefit to the development of national law."<\/p>\n
Sumanto said he would appeal the verdict. "Thank you Pak Hakim
\n(Judge). I object to the verdict and I will file an appeal," said
\nthe Indonesia's very own Hannibal Lector, who appeared calm, if
\nhungry, throughout the trial.<\/p>\n
Nurachyo, who coordinated Sumanto's 13-lawyer defense team,
\ninsisted that stealing a corpse did not constitute a crime as a
\ncorpse had no intrinsic economic value.<\/p>\n
In addition, he said, Sumanto was mentally ill and could not
\nbe held accountable for his actions.<\/p>\n
"That's why it's obvious we must appeal this verdict, which
\nwas unjustly handed down on a mentally ill person," the lawyer
\ntold reporters after the trial.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indonesias-hannibal-lector-gets-5-years-1447893297",
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